Dance With Me
by Ryuu no Kami
Summary: She was tired of watching him dance with the other girls.


**A/N:** Has anyone heard of a possible DLC featuring Minako? Just for one damn dance with Akihiko?! Is that asking too much?!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Persona 3 or it's highly addictive counterpart, Dancing in Moonlight. If I did, clearly Minako would be in every possible song.

* * *

She's tired of watching him dance with other girls.

He's danced with Mitsuru, because of course he would.

He's danced with Yukari, because she is the only girl who has the energy to keep up with some of his strange (unique) moves.

He's danced with Fuuka, because who could say _no?_

He's danced with Aigis, and though she never said anything, those dances had been quite entertaining to watch.

He's even danced with Elizabeth!

That's when it had started to bother her.

 _Why won't he ask to dance with me?_

Minako had no idea how or why they had ended up in this bizarre place, but a part of her had epically squealed (in her mind, of course) when she had discovered a chance to dance with her senpai. Since apparently they wouldn't remember anything when they woke up from this dream, she had figured this would be her best chance. If he said no, then at least she tried, but would be grateful to forget about it. If he said yes, then she would probably turn into a blubbering idiot and trip over her own feet and embarrass herself to the point she would be glad no one would remember anyway.

The first words out of his mouth once the idea had been accepted by everyone had been something along the lines of, _I'm sure this will help out in my training. Why not?_

She may have facepalmed as the conversation had built up around her.

But now, she sits in her room, frustrated that she had one: not found the courage to ask him to dance with her; and two: that _he_ had not yet asked her to dance. Is she really bad at it? She admits that she's not much of a dancer, but if fighting for your life in a demented tower didn't help with your agility and flexibility, what else could help her? She sure as hell isn't learning anything watching Junpei and Ken play baseball in the middle of their routines…

Yukari and Mitsuru (insert grinding teeth) are the ones she wants to ask to help her, but her pride always stops her. They both always look so fluid and graceful in each of their dances, even matching paces with Junpei's 'I'm gonna do whatever I want' moves and Akihiko's 'I'm gonna beat the shit out of you' moves.

She had felt so awkward in the two or three dances she had participated in with the girls. Fuuka had been the easiest to work with, so simple and caring and always giving praise when she felt she didn't deserve it. That had quickly come to be her downfall (and her last dance) when she had heard Akihiko's voice from the crowd, "This could do me some good in my bouts."

She had been so distraught over his supposed "praise" that she had tripped over her foot and slammed into the ground. Fuuka (bless her heart) had the decency to stop her routine and rush over to her while Junpei and her damn cousin had laughed like it had been the funniest thing they would ever see.

Well, maybe it would be, because she is pretty sure they are still hiding in their rooms after she had words with them.

Regardless, a part of her is defeated, accepting that she will never get her chance, and wants to wake up and forget about this blunder of a night. Just as she throws her head into the pillow (how is this a dream when it feels so _real?)_ , there's a knock on her door. She groans, hoping her silence will hint to them that she does not want to be disturbed, but the knocking continues.

"Minako-san?"

It's Ken.

At least _someone_ had the nerve to check on her…

Unable to find the heart to ignore the youngest member of the team, she pulls herself off her bed and walks to the door. Ken stands on the opposite side, wearing a concerned look on his face. She's mildly touched.

"I-I just wanted to see if m-maybe you would want to m-maybe, um, p-practice with me?"

Aw, he could be so cute, and if he had been several years older, she probably would be blushing at his offer. But he's a kid, a nice kid, and sadly not the one she is falling for at the moment.

"Of course," she replies with a laugh. Ken's brown eyes go wide, then he shakes his head and a bashful smile appears on his face.

"Great! I'll meet you on stage!"

Then, he runs down the hallway like she's an evil spirit and she's going to murder him. She sighs with a chuckle, then decides she may as well put her pride on the line one more time. But if she falls again, or something else happens to embarrass her, she's done. She'll hide in her room until she wakes up and can put her mind to schoolwork or destroying shadows.

She just hopes her sleeping self doesn't decide to take up dancing as soon as she wakes up.

As she walks down the hall, she thinks about how to incorporate some of the other's movements into a dance routine, or if she's okay doing whatever she feels like since she's dancing with Ken. All he really does is dance to the beat, sit and watch what his partner is doing, then dance to the beat again. It's adorable, but she's not ten. She'd look like a fool.

She rounds the corner and curses her luck when she runs into the guys. Junpei and Minato stare at her, waiting for her to continue her violent yelling spree she had with them only a few minutes ago. She glares at them, but says nothing.

Wisely, the two of them slide around her and take off down the hall as soon as they get behind her. She almost chases after them, but then remembers that Ken is waiting for her and she would be rude to keep him waiting when he had the courage to ask her to practice with him.

"Are you okay?"

She jumps, then her heart drops into her stomach because now she really wants to chase off after Junpei and Minato. She would rather deal with them than deal with Akihiko, who is looking at her like she's hurt and he wants to take care of her and…

She shakes her head. "I'm okay, Senpai. Thank you."

He holds her gaze for a few seconds before he turns his head. She can't tell if it's the reflection of the lights off his sparkly red jacket (which she had almost fainted seeing him in…) or if he's really blushing. She assumes the former, but smiles because it's cute and it's a dream and her heart is a little fluttery.

"W-well, you took quite a fall earlier, so I was making sure you weren't hurt or anything."

She grabs his arm and laughs, even if she's slightly upset he did not check up on her earlier, but…little things. She feels him tense at the contact, but she looks up at him and says, "That's really sweet of you, but I'm fine. Promise."

She offers him her best smile, and she can definitely tell now that he's blushing. His eyes are scanning the space around them, probably looking for a means of escape. She releases his arm and frowns a bit when his shoulders drop and he heaves a sigh.

"I'm going to practice with Ken now, so take care or…well, whatever one is supposed to say when we have no idea when we will wake up!"

He actually cracks a smile at her pitiful attempt of humor, but it puts her in a better mood nonetheless. Until he pulls the floor out from under her. "I'll come watch."

No. No. No. _No!_

She struggles to form thoughts fast enough and her words only make her feel like an idiot. "N-no! I-I mean, we're just practicing so…yeah!"

Yes. Because he's sure to leave her alone now…

So, before she can make herself even more uncomfortable, she rushes past him and towards the lights that are now her friend and she can't _wait_ to dance!

Ken is nothing but smiles when she arrives, slightly out of breath, and slightly happy that Akihiko did not follow her. She becomes annoyed, however, when Elizabeth comes barreling into her.

"Oh, how I cannot _wait_ to see this dazzling performance!"

How the hell is she so…energetic?! Maybe this is what happens to one who has to work for a weird long-nosed man who keeps you locked up in an elevator…?

Ken hops right up on the stage. Minako waits a few moments while Elizabeth prepares the musical number Ken wants to practice. And as her luck would have it, right when she steps up beside Ken, three faces come to stand in front of the stage.

Fuuka, Mitsuru, and Akihiko.

Ken seems eager to show off his moves to a crowd, but she is swallowed up with dread. Fuuka she has no problem with, even as the young girl claps her hands and smiles widely at both of them. Minako is _terrified_ of what Mitsuru is going to think. To make it worse, she's standing next to Akihiko and they are both talking to each other, probably in French, and probably about how horrible this is going to be…

The music starts and she tries to push the jealousy and fear away and follow along with whatever Ken is doing. To her surprise, instead of playing his choice song so he could practice 'shredding his air-guitar', he picks a song she feels like she can dance to. Or at least offer some semblance of kid-like moves that include jumping in place to the beat with an occasional hand motion here and there.

Ken is loving it, so she tries to enjoy it, too. He turns to her with a bright smile, hands out like he's introducing her section of the song, then runs up to her and grabs her hands. She lets him do his own thing, swaying their arms to the beat and hopping in place. If she were to have just met him right here, she would have to guess his age to be five and not ten.

But then something hits her. He's having fun. He's happy, probably happier now that she's agreed to join him on stage. He might not be a professional dancer (she would never tell him that) or really have a good grasp on the subject, but it doesn't matter to him. With all this kid has been through, he's laughing, he's smiling, and he's enjoying the moment.

So, she follows his actions and does the same.

She knows she looks like a dork, or a rhythmically challenged girl, but she admits to herself that this is fun. She laughs with Ken as they simply run around the stage and do random twists and hand jerks that most of the time never land with the beat of the song. However, not once in that time did she ever think about what the others thought about them, about what they were saying, about anything else besides finding the energy to keep up with Ken.

She's actually very sad when the song is over, even if she's more out of breath than she will let on. Ken rushes up to her and hugs her as Elizabeth shouts praises so loud and ridiculous that she doesn't even hear them.

"Thanks for dancing with me, Minako-san!"

She ruffles his hair, earning herself a scowl and a blush. "Thank you for asking me to dance with you."

His face lights up brighter than the stage as he removes himself from her. He nods once, then asks, "Will you dance with me again sometime?"

"I would love to dance with you again."

The smile he wears splits his face in two and he turns to his audience and bows. All four of their spectators seem to have enjoyed their performance, but she doesn't care. She had fun, and for now, that's all that matters.

To think that such a life lesson would be found in a dream, dancing, and with a ten-year-old boy.

She smiles as she watches Ken walk up to Fuuka, but her smile vanishes when her two seniors approach her.

"That was very impressive, Arisato."

She tries to accept Mitsuru's compliment, but she really doesn't think her dance had been all that impressive. 'Entertaining' would have been a word she could have accepted.

"You looked like you were having a lot of fun."

Akihiko's compliment, however, does make her blush. "T-thank you."

Mitsuru chuckles. "To think that one of us could match Amada's level of energy. You did quite well."

 _That_ had been more of what she had expected from Mitsuru. And it makes her feel better. "He's a lot of fun to dance with," she comments while her gaze lands on Ken, who is talking to Elizabeth about playing another song. "It's hard _not_ to enjoy being around him when he's like that."

"True," is her senior's reply as her hand comes to rest against her chin, seemingly thinking about their routine. "It appears I still have much to learn from all of you."

She wants to throw her head back and laugh because _of course_ Mitsuru is studying them, but she also finds humor in the fact that she wants to learn from _her_. Maybe she hadn't been as bad of a dancer as she had thought?

Minako offers a grin. "Maybe you should dance with him then." Mitsuru appears taken back by her remark, but the senior looks over her shoulder at Ken and Fuuka, who look to be preparing to start another dance.

"Trust me," Minako continues, sensing Mitsuru's hesitation. "You'll stop thinking so much if you just enjoy what you're doing. I did!"

Mitsuru contemplates her words for a few seconds, but eventually she gives in and nods her head. "I agree. A good way to learn is to act." She gives both Minako and Akihiko a look, then adds, "I expect a full report on my progress."

This time, she does laugh. "Just go have fun and that'll be all the progress you need!"

She watches Mitsuru walk up and speak to Ken and Fuuka. Words are exchanged between the three of them before they all nod and take their place on the stage. Minako offers a wave to Ken (he had waved at her first) before she takes a seat on one of the leather couches in the hall.

She tenses when Akihiko takes a seat next to her. "Are you planning on dancing some more?"

She tries to keep her inner fangirl to a minimum, but her heart is racing at his hidden question. Maybe he wants to dance with her? Would it be rude to expect him to ask her first, or should she ask him? "Are you going to dance again?"

He simply shrugs his shoulders and the happiness leaves her body with her sigh. "I'd rather be training, but sometimes watching others helps to sharpen your own skills, ya know?"

If she were to punch him in the face, would he be sporting a black eye in the morning? "I see."

He shifts uncomfortably beside her, but she turns her attention to the stage. While Ken may not have the same energy he had when dancing with her, he's still incredibly fun to watch. Fuuka even more so, as she constantly has to look over at Ken to copy his movements and she's always a few steps behind him. She doesn't seem to mind, though, and Minako's previous thought comes back to her.

Who cares what the others think when you're having fun?

"Actually," she starts, her own voice surprising her. "I probably will stay down and dance a little bit more." She turns to Akihiko with a smile so fake it hurts her soul. "So you can focus on your training and I'll focus on having fun, okay?"

There's a look of pain on his face that _almost_ makes her regret her choice of words. She stands once she knows the song is coming to an end, but something latches on to her wrist before she can walk away.

"I want to dance with you."

The admission literally causes her to fall back into the sofa. She can't tell if the song is over or if she's only hearing the pulse of her own heart in her ears. She looks over at Akihiko, half expecting him to ask why she's changed her mind because he wouldn't be asking her to dance with him…right?

"W-what?"

One of his gloved hands scratches the back of his neck and he looks away from her. "I-I mean, i-if that's okay…?"

Now, if she were to _kiss_ him right now, would he remember in the morning?

"I didn't think you wanted to dance with me."

He runs his hands over his face and she can't help but chuckle at how adorable he is when he's flustered. "I never said I _didn't_ want to dance with you!"

She grabs his hands and pulls them away from his face. "I'd like to dance with you."

Ken's smile could supply her with years of crazy energy, but Akihiko's smile completely melts her heart. "R-really?"

She stifles a giggle behind her hand. "I've been waiting for you to ask me, but I figured you thought I wasn't a very good dancer."

He frowns at her. "I don't think that at all. If anyone deserves that title, it's Junpei."

She laughs until she feels tears bead up at the corner of her eyes. She playfully slaps his arm. "I won't tell him you said that!" After wiping her tears, she stands from her seat and extends her hand to him. "Shall we?"

He hesitates, then he appears to nod away his nerves as he reaches for her hand to follow her to the now vacant dance stage. She manages to catch a glimpse of Mitsuru, Fuuka, and Ken heading up the stairs, each with a different expression on their face. Mitsuru is clearly thinking and asking the other two about their feelings on their performance. Fuuka a mix between excited and nervous as her lips move after Mitsuru asks her a question. Ken is just exhausted and likely in need a good rest.

So, minus Elizabeth, she's all alone with Akihiko.

"And what song would you like to perform for the crowd?"

Akihiko leaves her side for a moment to talk to their producer while she mentally prepares herself for the dance. She has watched him a few times, and one could easily tell he's a boxer. Is that how she should approach the dance, too? Should she stick to her gut and pretend she's ten and can keep up with the music, as well as deal with the excitement of dancing with her crush? If she falls again, would he catch her?

 _That_ makes her blush.

"Ready?"

She quickly comes to attention (she may be slightly dizzy from her earlier thought) and smiles at the boy standing in front of her. She can only nod her head in response, and a part of her misses his presence when he turns and walks to the center of the stage.

She has not been present for the song he chooses (which she realizes is Ken's earlier song in a different style) so she watches him carefully. She tries not to laugh too much because he's having fun, by working up a sweat or dancing, she may never know, and that's all that matters. She can't help smiling, though. He looks like he's fighting someone, and maybe he is in his mind, and it's actually incredibly hilarious to watch.

Then he turns his eyes to her. She freezes in place, hoping he's not reading her mind. He smiles at her, holds out his hand, and she has a hard time breathing. Thankfully, her muscles do their job and she rushes out into the spotlight with him, trying (and failing) to copy his erratic and sharp movements, until she gives up all together.

She figures she may as well be the bouncy little ball of energy in Ken's honor. So she runs around him, stomps around to the beat of the song (which is thankfully slower than Ken's version) and ultimately makes a fool out of herself. But she's laughing, he's laughing, and she's too happy to care.

She senses her time is over, so she bows, smiles, then waves as she prepares to leave him to his routine. That's when she feels his hand grab her arm and spin her around. She bumps into him, and she remains against his chest to hide the immense blush she feels on her face. She's probably burning him, but he's pretty warm himself because he is dancing and he's always warm and she's seriously about to squeal like one of his fangirls…

When his hands slowly move to her hips, she leans back only so she can breathe. Elizabeth needs to turn the air on _immediately_. He looks down at her, a smile on his lips and a light sheen of sweat on his brow that causes the fringes of his hair to stick to his face. She's grateful he's holding her or she would likely hit the deck again.

"You're pretty good at this."

She exhales a laugh. "I'm _terrible_ at this!"

He steps away from her and tugs her wrist in a way that forces her back against him, one of their hands locked together in the air and the other pair on her opposite side. Even though she's facing the front of the stage, she sees no one. She only _feels_ the body of the boy behind her and the images in her head of what his face looks like right now and why can no one take a picture so she can keep this moment forever?

She feels him lean into her and whisper, "I think you're amazing."

Before she can say anything in response or pass out, he spins her back around. The action and her thoughts make her lose her footing and he has to wrap his arms around her back to keep her from falling. There's a look of worry on his face when she doesn't stand right back up, but she really is about to pass out and she wants to stay in his arms like this for just a little while longer…

"Minako?"

She guesses it would be rude to keep him worrying, so she shifts her feet to pull herself up. She's extremely pleased when he keeps his arms around her. Finding some hidden courage in her heart, she places her arms over his shoulders and steps a fraction of a step closer to him.

The song is still playing, but she's pretty sure the strange presence of onlookers have long stopped watching. Which is a good thing. She doesn't want to think someone is watching her precious moment with Akihiko right now.

When she notices that his eyes keep traveling from her eyes to her lips, she presses herself against him completely. He swallows hard, but he never asks her to step back or even step back himself. If anything, she thinks he leans in a little too.

"Are we going to forget this when we wake up?" he quietly asks, his breath tickling her skin. Her heart is hammering in her chest faster than any song on Elizabeth's playlist, but she's never been more relaxed in her life.

She lifts herself onto her toes so she can close another inch between their lips. "I don't know, but I'm sure we could do this again once we do wake up, right?"

"Yeah," he says as one of his hands cups the side of her face. "But I kind of don't want to wake up."

She holds her breath and he leans in closer and closer. She takes one last look into his eyes, then she closes them and waits for the contact and smiles because _he's going to kiss her!_

"Is it my turn to accompany you?"

Minako pushes herself away from Akihiko so hard that the boy actually falls over. Aigis comes to stand between them, confused as to either why she has pushed Akihiko or why someone is not dancing with her.

She loves Aigis, she really does, but she allows herself to hate her in that split second. "Aigis, _I_ was dancing with Akihiko!"

Aigis still seems confused. "But I do not understand. Your movements could not be detected and the music had not stopped."

She groans loudly. "It's a different kind of dancing! You don't always have to be moving!"

Some sense of understanding flashes in the robot maiden's eyes, then she bows her head. "I understand. I apologize for intruding on your dance. I will observe your motions from afar until it is my turn to join in."

Aigis steps off the stage and waits ever so patiently for her time to jump in and start dancing. By the time Minako gains some control over her heartbeat and her thoughts, the song is over. She slowly turns herself to where she had pushed Akihiko to the floor and is thankful that he's at least on his feet again.

"I'm so sorry, Senpai. I didn't mean to push-,"

He grabs her shoulders and silences her with his lips. It's light, quick, but it sucks the life out of her and he has to catch her as her knees give out from under her. "Hell, I'm sorry, Minako…"

"Don't," she manages to breathe out, slapping a hand to his chest to stop his thinking. She inhales to help steady herself, then smiles up at the boy still leaning over her. "Is this how every dance with you is going to go?"

He seems confused at first, then his eyes widen and his cheeks flush. "O-oh! Um, well…" He helps her stand upright while her hand finds his. She squeezes it and he grins at her. "I hope Aigis doesn't interrupt next time."

She leans her forehead against his chest (she can hear his heartbeat and it's more intoxicating than the music) and laughs. "Maybe we could practice in your room, then?"

She feels him tense at the suggestion and it only makes her laugh harder. "M-m-my room?!"

"Well," she starts, tracing some pattern on his chest with her fingers. "I guess we could practice here, but Aigis and everyone else would be waiting to join in, too."

He coughs at that. "R-right." He then steps away from her, her hand still clasped with his, and lightly tugs on her to get her moving. "Are you up for another dance, then?"

She feels her face warm under his gaze. "Y-yeah! I may run low on energy before you do, though."

"I'll make sure that you keep going."

And when she wakes up in the morning, she's wearing a smile.

* * *

I still laugh so hard when Ken and Junpei start playing baseball in the Mass Destruction song. Until I start missing notes...then I wonder why the fuck they had to do that!

Thanks for reading!

龍の神様


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